In the next couple of days, or weeks for some, children will all start heading back to school. This time may be less than exciting for kids given that summer fun and outdoor adventures are now winding down, but it’s definitely a time to breathe easy for most parents. At least, that’s the case until your child comes home sick with the bug that’s going around the school at a rapid rate.
It’s not news that children are extremely likely to wind up sick when they’re in school. When you factor in the number of children, their young immune systems, and the various items that every kid is touching on a daily basis, it’s bound to happen. With that being said, there are a few things that you can do to reduce the chances of your child coming home with the back-to-school plague. If you’re looking for ways that you can reduce the chances of a sick child, keep reading.
In today’s blog, the team at AFM Healthcare in Winter Park is going to go over a few of the different things that you can do to minimize the chances of a sick child the first few weeks of school. Let’s get started.
TEACH THOROUGH HAND WASHING
One of the most important health skills that your child will need to know is how to thoroughly wash their hands. We understand that they want to get on their way from the bathroom so that they can get back to playing, but hand washing is a must when looking to stay healthy at school. Teach your child how to thoroughly wash their hands and talk about the times where it’s a must so that they get in the habit of doing so.
IMPORTANCE OF COVERING THEIR MOUTH
While we’re on the topic of important lessons that you can teach your child, let’s talk about how important it is that your child understands why they need to cover their mouth when sneezing or coughing. As we mentioned earlier, it doesn’t take much to spread sickness throughout a school, so even the simple habit of covering their mouth when they sneeze or cough could drastically reduce the chances of spreading any sickness.
If you have a little one, making a game out of the etiquette that comes with sneezing and coughing is a fun way to introduce the things that they should do while also giving them a chance to practice.
PLENTY OF WATER
Ensuring that your child is drinking plenty of water is incredibly important to their health. With as much as children are running around and playing, it’s crucial that they drink water regularly not only to keep their body hydrated, but to also help provide their body with the nourishment needed to maintain their health. While it can be easy to give them a glass of juice with breakfast or a cup of chocolate milk at dinner, make sure that they are getting plenty of water throughout the day — it makes a difference.
STAY HOME WHEN NEEDED
While this may not be a tip to help avoid a child getting sick, it is one that we suggest sticking to if your child winds up feeling under the weather. Sickness spreads like wildfire in a school, so when your child doesn’t feel well, the best thing that you can do is to keep them home. Even the slightest bit of interaction can be enough to spread the sickness to another child, and so on, and so forth. So, the best thing to do is keep them home until they feel better.
VISIT AFM HEALTHCARE TODAY
The team at AFM Healthcare, your trusted primary care physician in Winter Park, is dedicated to providing residents with the information that they need to live happy, healthy lives. If you are in need of some help with educating your child on regular hygiene or etiquette , let their primary care physician know and they can help you out. Aside from that, you can always count on our team to be there in the case that your child does get sick!
Take a minute and browse the various services that we offer and contact our office with any insurance questions, general inquiries, or to schedule an appointment at our facility.